Tinkercaster
Tonerider wiring

Two humbuckers, three-way toggle, push/pull split volume and one tone

Two humbuckers · Three-way toggle · Push/pull volume (splits both) · One tone

Tonerider's 2 Humbuckers, 1 Volume (Push-Pull), 1 Tone harness: neck and bridge four-conductor humbuckers on a three-way toggle, one 500kA push/pull volume and a 500kA tone with a .022 µF capacitor. Pulling the volume knob grounds each pickup's black–white link, so both pickups split at once.

Loading interactive diagram…

Viewed from the back of the controls, as you solder them. Select a component to move, rotate or flip it. Follow wires and try the switches in simulation mode. Use Full screen for a closer look.

Open interactive diagram Download SVG

Parts and values

In the drawingValuePart
Neck Pickup—Humbucker (four-conductor, DiMarzio colours)Generic
Bridge Pickup—Humbucker (four-conductor, DiMarzio colours)Generic
3-Way Toggle—Switchcraft 3-Way ToggleExample part
Volume 500kA push/pullSource: Volume 500kA (push-pull)500k500k Push-Pull DPDTExample part
Tone 500kA500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
.022µfSource: .022µf capacitor (drawn orange)22nFOrange Drop .022µFExample part
Ground wire from bridgeSource: Ground Wire from Bridge—Bridge ground wireGeneric

“Example part” means any part with the same value and lugs will do; the source does not name a brand. “Generic” stands in for an unspecified pickup: check your own pickup's lead colours before you solder.

Specific to this wiring

  • Switch Positions printed on the sheet: 'UP: Split (Slug Coils)', 'DOWN: Humbucker'.
  • Each pickup's black and white leads are soldered together onto one middle-row lug of the push/pull switch: neck on the left, bridge on the right. The two lugs nearest the pot each have a short black link to one solder spot on the volume casing; the top row stays empty.
  • Each pickup's red lead goes to an outer toggle lug (neck to the upper one, bridge to the lower one); the toggle's middle lug runs to the volume's left lug, which also feeds the tone.
  • Each pickup's green lead and 'Bare Shield Wires' end on one solder spot on the volume casing.
  • The tone's left lug takes the signal, its middle lug goes through the .022 µF capacitor to the tone casing, and its right lug is drawn empty.
  • Legend: the ground symbol means 'Connection to Ground'. The source marks the toggle frame, the volume casing, the tone casing and the jack sleeve with ground symbols; here they are all wired to the volume casing. That is a routing choice, not a solder point shown in the source.
  • The 'Ground Wire from Bridge' ends on the volume casing.
  • Pickup series printed on the sheet: all 4-conductor 'AC' and 'H' series humbuckers.
  • The toggle tags are not labelled in the source, so they are mapped by what each does.

Connections

In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path. Choose Show to highlight a connection in the drawing.

#FromToHow
1Neck greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
2Neck bare shieldVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
3Bridge greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
4Bridge bare shieldVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
5Push/pull left lug nearest the potVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
6Push/pull right lug nearest the potVolume casingSame solder spot as the left link.To a pot casingblack
7Toggle frame lugGround (volume casing)The source shows a ground symbol.To a pot casing
8Volume right lugVolume casingShort black link.To a pot casing
9.022µf capacitorTone casingTo a pot casing
10Tone casingGround (volume casing)The source shows a ground symbol.To a pot casing
11Jack sleeveGround (volume casing)The source shows a ground symbol.Wire
12Ground wire from bridgeVolume casingWire
13Neck redToggle neck lugWirered
14Bridge redToggle bridge lugWirered
15Toggle middle lugVolume left lug (input)Wire
16Neck whitePush/pull left middle lugWirewhite
17Neck blackPush/pull left middle lugShares the lug with the neck white.Wireblack
18Bridge whitePush/pull right middle lugWirewhite
19Bridge blackPush/pull right middle lugShares the lug with the bridge white.Wireblack
20Volume middle lugJack tipWire
21Volume left lugTone left lugWire
22Tone middle lug.022µf capacitorWire

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Neck, knob down: full humbuckerDOWN: Humbucker.Neck Pickup (both coils).
Both, knob down: both humbuckersDOWN: Humbucker.Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel.
Bridge, knob down: full humbuckerDOWN: Humbucker.Bridge Pickup (both coils).
Neck, knob pulled: single coilUP: Split (Slug Coils).Neck Pickup (split to one coil).
Both, knob pulled: both splitUP: Split (Slug Coils).Neck Pickup (split to one coil) and Bridge Pickup (split to one coil) in parallel.
Bridge, knob pulled: single coilUP: Split (Slug Coils).Bridge Pickup (split to one coil).

Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.

  • Hum cancelling and phase describe the generic pickup models, not a measurement of the Tonerider humbuckers.
  • The source says the split keeps the slug coils; the generic model does not know which physical coil is the slug, so it only shows that one coil remains.
  • Pickup resistance is not specified, so no numeric meter readings are given.

Before you solder

Ticks are kept in this browser only, as a reminder. They are not a check of your joints. New to soldering? Read the soldering cheat sheet.

Check before plugging in

  • Knob down: in each toggle position the meter across the jack reads the selected humbucker, or both in parallel in the middle.
  • Knob up: each reading drops to roughly one coil's resistance.
  • With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short in every position.

Measure across the output jack with a multimeter on its resistance range. No exact readings are given where the source does not specify the pickups.